Voice of the People, Aug. 24

August 24, 2010

Mosque mess

The opposition to a 13-story building, two blocks from ground zero and containing a Muslim mosque on one floor, brings to mind the old saying "be careful what you wish for." Many microphone-loving politicians in the land are outraged, calling it sacred ground. What a wonderful propaganda gift they would give to Islamist extremists around the world by denying Muslims a right to build a mosque anywhere.

Are these dunderheaded thinkers oblivious to the fact that we have tens of thousands of troops who are trying to gain the trust of the people of several Muslim countries where they are serving and fighting?

The Islamist radical message is "the United States is the enemy of Islam." And we want to give the Taliban and al-Qaida a powerful new recruiting tool by validating that claim?

Looking at the bigger picture from that perspective might cause us to rethink our position.

— Charles R. Stevenson, Schaumburg

Embracing ignorance

Leave it to columnist Dennis Byrne to actually manage to come down on the right side of an issue for once — and do so in a way that is so wrong-headed and offensive. The so-called ground zero mosque is neither a mosque nor is it at ground zero. It is a community center that will include an auditorium, a child-care center, meeting rooms, other facilities open to the public and, yes, a mosque. It is blocks from ground zero, as is a strip club that I've yet to hear any of Byrne's right-wing compatriots complain about. Perhaps even stranger still is that I've yet to hear any objection from so-called conservatives to the mosque that exists within the Pentagon itself, a building that was also attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, in case Byrne has forgotten.

Byrne is honest enough to admit that the objection to the building is due to discrimination, then proceeds to embrace the worst type of ignorance as exhibited by its opponents.

Islam is not the monolithic religion that Byrne likes to present it as. Certainly he understands that all Irish Catholics do not support the protection of pedophile priests, any more than all Southern Baptists support the gunning down of abortion doctors. Yet Byrne lumps all of Islam with a small group of radical extremists. In so doing Byrne manages to actually become a wonderful propaganda tool to Osama bin Laden and his ilk.

— Daniel Welch, Lombard

Guaranteed freedom

Although it's puzzling that the site of an Islamic community center and mosque should be close to ground zero, it's the project planners' guaranteed freedom to do so based on the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

— Mark C. Page, Tinley Park

Right vs. the right thing

Let me be clear: Just because you have the right to do something doesn't mean you should do it.

— Mary Fitzgerald, Arlington Heights

Endangering troops

Putting aside questions of religious freedom, vocal mosque opponents are increasing the dangers to our troops. Congressional Republicans approved sending our soldiers to war in two Muslim countries. We need the military and civilian support of moderate Muslims in those two countries, not to mention in the rest of the Muslim world. Now some Republicans (and Democratic cowards like Harry Reid) want to join the screamers who say "Islam is the enemy."

These voices are providing aid and comfort to al-Qaida by buying into al-Qaida's propaganda that this is a war between religions.

They are increasing the risks of death and injury to our troops, and are generally undermining our military missions in those countries.

— Tom Vega-Byrnes, Chicago

State pension benefits

This is in response to "Teachers: Don't blame us for mess" (Commentary, Aug. 19), by Ed Geppert, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and Ken Swanson, president of the Illinois Education Association. Calling the Tribune "a tool of terror" for publishing Dennis Byrne's column on the Illinois state pension debacle is, of course, ludicrous. But the writers made one valid point: Politicians are to blame for refusing to make the needed pension contributions over many years. One can also make the case that politicians in years past blithely granted overly generous health and pension benefits to state workers, knowing they wouldn't be around when the bills came due. Well the bills are now due. And the numbers don't lie. The total unfunded liability for state worker pensions and health care is approximately $120 billion. Even doubling the state income tax would not close that gap. And no politician in his right mind would vote to do that. Yes state taxes will have to go up in order to meet this challenge. And state pension and health benefits will have to come down. That's the reality of the situation, like it or not.